Tales of Symphonia Saved
by Rini Tsukino
Summary: Previously A New World? Ara should be dead. After that blow, she should have bled to death. But she didn't. She was saved. A miracle. And now, she's determined to help however she can, and repay them for saving her. If that means traversing Sylvarant...
1. Chapter 0 Prologue The Night Before

Aramina yawned. It had been a long day, and it was getting late. The sun would set in another hour or so. She decided to set up camp for the night right where she was, dropping her bag. Looking around, it wasn't a bad place to stop. The trees were gradually thinning as she neared the edges of the Greatwood Forest, and she heard a stream gurgling a ways off to one side.

She cleared a small area of grass and undergrowth, setting a ring of stones in the middle to serve as a fire pit, and pulled a pot from her bag, setting it to the side. Grabbing her tinderbox, she started the fire, feeding it with some of the undergrowth she'd cleared, until she was confident it wouldn't go out if she set the pot on top of it. She filled the pot with the last of the water from her waterskin, adding a bit of salt she kept in a jar in her bag, before setting it on the fire to boil.

After a hot meal of stew, Aramina headed for the river, taking her waterskin and some extra clothes with her. Upon arriving at the river, she stripped off her clothes, dropping them on a rock, and stepped into the water. She shivered as the cold water washed over her bare feet, but soon grew used to it and waded in deeper, fully intending to get clean and be rid of the grime of the road. She scrubbed at her light skin and silver hair, the dirt and dust floating down the river.

Once satisfied that she was clean, she headed back up to the bank, shivering in the chilly air. After a few minutes of drip-drying, she pulled on the extra clothes she'd brought along, a green tunic and matching pants, and her regular, brown leather boots. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, which immediately soaked through the back of her tunic, and filled the waterskin before heading back towards the camp, looking forward to sleeping. As soon as she arrived, she laid out her sleeping bag and crawled inside, planning on getting an early start the next day.

*~*~*~*~*

Aramina jolted awake. There was someone nearby. She'd distinctly heard the snap of a twig, and few animals dared venture near a fire, even a smoldering one, and Aramina's was still burning. She tried to even her breathing, as if she were still sleeping, hoping that whoever it was would leave her alone.

Another twig broke, even closer this time. The hope of them leaving her alone was rapidly shrinking. Her breathing quickened ever so slightly.

Then she heard the crunch of boots on grass behind her. The boots stopped behind her head. Her brain screamed to turn around, or get up, or grab her weapons, to do _something_! So she did. She rolled at the feet behind her, hoping to trip them up. The owner cried out in surprise, and she distinctly identified it as a male voice.

She scrambled to free herself of the sleeping bag before the man made it back to his feet. As she stood, so too did the man. She watched him cautiously. His back was to the fire, so she couldn't see his features clearly.

As she watched, he drew a dagger. Her eyes widened as he did so, and she looked to see if she could get to her own weapons, a pair of twin blades and a bow with a quiver of arrows, finding them to be behind the man. Her eyes widened even further, full of fear. The man took a step forward. She took a step back. He took another step forward, and once again, she stepped back. Then again. And again. This felt scarily familiar. Images flashed through her mind.

__

*~*~*~*~*

Someone stood protectively over her, their sword forcing back that of another figure… Then, her protector jumped out of the way of another enemy's attack, and the gap between them was quickly filled. One of the men who had filled the gap came at her, sword raised. She screamed… And electricity filled the air, striking just in front of her tiny feet. The rock on which she cowered crumbled beneath her, sending her tumbling downward…

*~*~*~*~*

Aramina was brought back to reality when her back hit a tree and her legs went numb. She was in a bad spot. Her weapons were useless, back by the fire. The man a few feet in front of her had a dagger, one which he seemed all too prepared to use. She spun, trying to get around the tree, trying to get behind some sort of cover, any type of cover. Her movement was jerked to a sharp halt, then quickly reversed, as the man grabbed her arm and yanked her back toward him. Aramina barely had time to register what was happening before the dagger drove home.

Her memory was a bit hazy as to what happened next, but she remembered what she'd been doing fairly clearly. It was the surroundings she had the most trouble remembering. Someone had bowled over her assailant, forcing him to drop her, and she assumed they'd brawled, but she wasn't sure. Aramina had fallen heavily against the tree behind her, staring dully at the weapon embedded in her abdomen. She remembered blood, soaking her clothes, coating the hand she tried to grab the slippery hilt with. Her fingers wouldn't work, they were too clumsy. She was scared, knowing that injuries like hers were often fatal if not treated immediately. _I don't want to die… Please…_

_I know… Just hold on._

Everything faded into blackness.


	2. Chapter 1 Awakening and Revelations

Rain pounded the dirt path, turning it to mud. The black-and-red clad teenager Lloyd Irving was hurrying down that very same pathway, riding on the back of his 'dog,' Noishe, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him suddenly force the animal to stop. Lying against a tree, a knife in her navel and red mud surrounding her, was a silver-haired girl. His eyes widened as he took in the sight.

He slid down Noishe's side, almost falling over in his haste, and ran to the girl's side. He put his ear close to her mouth and was relieved to find that she was breathing, if only just. But it certainly wouldn't be so for long if she didn't get some serious medical attention immediately. He whistled for Noishe to come and lie down, lifting her onto his back and swinging up himself. He nudged Noishe with his knees and took off, just in time for the school bell to ring. For once, Lloyd didn't care about being scolded by his teacher for tardiness.

After all, Professor Raine couldn't be too mad at him for being late if it was because he was trying to save this girl.

*~*~*~*~*

"Professor Raine! You have to help!" Lloyd shouted, hurrying into the one-room schoolhouse. The guards at the gate hadn't been to keen on letting Noishe in at first, but seeing the state his new passenger was in, had told the two to hurry and get help. Lloyd had raced through the village, silently cursing the fact the schoolhouse was on the far end, but had made it quickly. He'd stayed atop Noishe just long enough to make sure the girl wouldn't fall before jumping off and running into the schoolhouse.

The teacher, used to Lloyd's tardiness, had been waiting for the teen after telling everyone else to study for a quiz in ten minutes. The quiz didn't seem so important after she saw the dark blood on Lloyd's hand, a once-white bandage wrapped around the glove now stained crimson with life fluid. There seemed to be blood on his black pants, too, and she thought she could see more spots of darker red on his flame-colored jacket.

"Lloyd, what happened!?" she demanded,

"No time! Come on!" he shouted, waving her to follow him as he charged back out of the building, not even bothering to check that Raine was following. He could hear her hurried footsteps.

Raine had to keep from being sick as she saw the amount of blood covering Noishe's back, all stemming from one source. She gagged at the sickening smell of copper as her healer's instinct took over, the teacher pulling whatever supplies she had on hand from the pouches on her waist, where she kept the supplies for when the kids injured themselves during recess. Lloyd motioned to Noishe to lie down, steadying the girl as he did, allowing Raine to reach her.

The first thing Raine noticed was the dagger. It was still there, rather a blessing, as it had prevented her from bleeding out worse. But that didn't mean she was in good shape. The silver-haired teacher opened two apple gels and handed them to Lloyd. "When I pull, on three. One… two… three!" she shouted, removing the dagger as Lloyd smeared the apple gels over the wound. Queasy as it made her, Raine reached to help, quickly opening another gel and rubbing it into the wound to heal any internal injuries. After all, if there was to be any hope of the girl surviving, they had to work quickly.

_I just hope she's strong enough to hang on…_

*~*~*~*~*

Raine sighed, resisting the urge to wipe her forehead with her bloody hand. "That's all we can do. It's up to her now. Come, bring her to my house. I want her where I can keep a close eye on her."

The majority of the children had been sent home almost an hour ago, and, though she wanted to stay, the priests had come to take Colette to the Temple for study a few minutes after. Since then, Raine and Lloyd, with a little help from Genis, had moved the girl inside, applied a few more gels and cleaned up the worst of the blood. She was still in her ruined clothes and the injury was unbandaged, but Raine planned to fix those minor oversights when Lloyd and Genis _weren't_ in the room.

Lloyd nodded and opened the door to whistle at Noishe. "We need you to carry her again."

The dog-like creature whined in acknowledgement, laying down next to the door so they could easily move her onto his back. He looked like a dog, but Raine had her suspicions. He was too intelligent for her to not be interested in him, after all. But for now, she had a patient. "Careful, _careful_. Don't jostle her too much; we don't want to reopen the wound." It took a minute, but with a bit of extra help from Genis, they were able to lay her on Noishe's back.

Lloyd and Raine each took one side of Noishe and Genis sat up top, keeping an eye on her, so that he could warn them if she was about to fall. They made it to the two-story house without incident, and Noishe again lay down next to the door to allow them to take her inside more easily.

*~*~*~*~*

Aramina blinked confusedly. _Where…? Am I… dead? The last thing I remember is someone saying something to me… _The light was so bright… She blinked several more times, her eyes unused to the brightness. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she gingerly sat up, hissing as she felt a small, sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she discovered that her tunic had been replaced by a large bandage wrapped around her entire torso, and her hair had been freed from her ponytail.

As she looked around, she found herself to be on one of two beds in the room, with two doorways, one of which seemed to lead outside, judging by the light slipping between the curtains covering the windows on either side of it. The other one seemed to lead into another room, a dinging room, from the looks of the table and the cup sitting on it. She quickly turned her attention back to the first door, however, as she heard someone fumbling with the knob. A moment later, the door opened.

Three people walked in then, two of them with silver hair, like Aramina's, and blue eyes, and the third with brown hair and red eyes. She blushed and was suddenly quite glad that the bandage covered anything inappropriate, as two of the people were young men. The woman of the group, one of the silverettes, who was dressed in a white blouse, brown pants, and an orange overcoat, immediately turned her attention to Aramina.

"Ah, good, you're awake! I was starting to worry whether or not you'd wake up!" She quickly walked over, standing beside the bed and checking the bandage. "Good, good, no bleeding, I was a bit worried about that when I saw you sitting up…"

"What happened…?" Aramina rasped, her throat dry.

The lady looked to the younger silverette. "Genis, get her some water." She then turned back to Aramina, the boy, Genis, running off. "You took a nasty wound, young lady. If Lloyd hadn't gotten you here when he did, I don't think that you would have made it. You'd lost a lot of blood as it was…"

Genis came back with a glass of water, handing it to Aramina who quickly drank half of it. "Thanks."

"It's no problem. Besides, you really should be thanking Lloyd! He did, after all, save your life."

"Well then, I guess I'm in your debt," she said, looking at the brunette she assumed to be Lloyd.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Nah, it was no problem, anyone would have done what I did… Besides, it was Professor Raine who healed you."

She turned back to the lady, Raine, and smiled gratefully at her. "Well, it seems I owe _you _my life as well. Thank you."

She smiled back for a moment before her face turned serious again. "How exactly were you injured? Lloyd found you unconscious and badly injured on the ground just inside the forest, when he was on his way to school a full week and a half ago."

She grimaced. "I was attacked in the middle of the night… I couldn't get to my weapons, and so was unarmed against a man with a dagger… I tried to get away, but he grabbed me, and you saw the result… I'm lucky you guys found me." She shivered, and everyone fell silent for a moment. The silence was quickly broken, however, by Aramina's stomach. Raine smiled knowingly and turned to Genis.

"Would you go and make lunch for all four of us? Something light."

"Alright, sis." Genis was practically grinning as he bounced to the kitchen.

"Ah, so he _is_ your little brother. I thought as much, but wasn't quite sure." said Aramina, smiling as she watched Genis.

"Yes. Genis and I have been here in Iselia for a while. In fact, I'm the schoolteacher. Genis and Lloyd here are two of my pupils."

"Well, in that case, I probably owe you for Lloyd finding me as well. I am forever in your debt, Miss Raine." Her face contorted into a scowl. "I just wish I knew who attacked me. If I could have gotten to my weapons, I would have been able to take him easily, I know it! And now I've been here for a week and a half, and'll probably be stuck here even longer because of this injury, huh?"

Raine nodded. "Yes, I'd say another couple weeks at least."

"Aw, man!"

*~*~*~*~*

By the time Genis had finished making lunch and everyone had eaten, Aramina just wanted to sleep. Apparently, Raine, Genis, and Lloyd all needed to get back to the school as well, so they left her in peace to do just that.

*~*~*~*~*

She was shaken awake again several hours later, Raine handing her a bowl of soup. "Hey, it's getting late and I figured it would be a good idea to have you eat dinner. So eat up. I'll be heading to bed as soon as you're done, so I'll be right over there." She motioned to the other bed in the room. "Genis is sleeping in the other room."

"Okay. Erm, Raine?"

"Yes?"

"By any chance… Did you take a necklace off of me while I was out?"

Raine shook her head. "No, I didn't see any kind of jewelry at all."

Aramina bit her lip and looked down. "I can't believe I lost it…"

Raine looked sympathetic. "Was it something personal?"

"Mm-hm. It's my only lead. I've been traveling, looking for my parents."

The teacher furrowed her brows. "Well, I suppose that you could ask Lloyd to look where he found you. Or you could look yourself, once you're able."

Aramina's face lit up.

"But! I can't guarantee either of you will find it. For all you know, the bandit who attacked you, for I'm fairly sure that's what he was, could have stolen it."

Her shoulders slumped.

"We won't know until we look, though. It's possible it fell off or something. In the meantime, what _is_ your name? None of us thought to ask earlier, and Lloyd felt terrible about it."

"Oh! I'm sorry, my name is Aramina Silverblaze." At Raine's odd look, she explained a little further. "I don't actually know what my last name is, so I came up with my own. My foster parents agreed to it, so Silverblaze is my last name for now."

"I see. Well, you should get to sleep, and I'll be taking my own advice. Good night, Aramina."

"Just call me Ara."

*~*~*~*~*

Ara dreamed that night.

She was standing in a forest clearing, the silence calming. After a few minutes, a young man walked through the trees, coming to stand in front of her. He was clothed in a lavender robe, his hair royal purple. It floated around his head, almost like a halo.

"Hello again. It is good to see you are doing better."

"Huh? …Do I know you?"

He smiled knowingly. "No, but I know you."

Aramina opened her mouth, but the man cut her off before she could say anything.

"I know you must have questions, but I will tell you only what you need to know for now. I trust you to follow the path laid down for you." He paused a moment, kneeling down and pulling a blade of grass. "First, this is not Calestri."

Aramina furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, 'not Calestri?' Of course it is."

"How do you explain the village? There wasn't a village for another day's walk at least, and you were still a ways into the forest. But suddenly, you're right at the edge of a forest, much smaller than Greatwood, and quite conveniently in the path of the one person who regularly passes through said smaller-than-Greatwood forest. _And_ the village is a good deal closer than it should have been."

"An unknown village, and the edge of the Greatwood forest, though an average of nine days walk from the center, _does_ have areas where it's a day more or less than the average. Hmph."

"Why are you so stubborn!? By the elements, your mother wasn't even this bad!" he cried, raising his arms in exasperation.

That caught Aramina's attention. "What!? My mom!? You know her!?"

The young man suddenly stopped. _Hmm… She's curious. This could work to my advantage…and hers._ "Yes, I knew your mother, albeit briefly. Your father as well…"

"Tell me!"

"Ah-ah. I'll tell you a little at a time, _if _you promise to keep an open mind."

"Bu-"

"Nope. Promise to keep an open mind, and I'll tell you. Not all at once though."

"Aw, come on!"

"Promise."

"F-fine. I promise. I'll keep a _slightly_ more open mind about it."

"Good. Now then, as I said before, this isn't Calestri. You are now back on Sylvarant, where you were born. And before you ask, you were moved to Calestri for _safety_, around the time you turned three. Do you follow so far?"

"Mm-hm."

"Good. Now then, Sylvarant is much more dangerous than Calestri. The majority of people here know how to fight, to some extent, though you do as well, so you're not behind in that. A good thing, since you've no elven blood and thus can't use magic. Once you're allowed to move around, ask Lloyd about a pair of twin blades. He should have a spare pair that you can use for a while. Make sure to practice your bladework as much as possible without injuring yourself. You'll need it. Unfortunately, I doubt there's a spare bow to be found in Iselia; you'll have to wait until you visit another village or city to pick one up. I don't know when I'll have time to check in on you again, so don't slack."

"Okay."

"Good. I need to go now, as do you," he said, getting to his feet.

"W-wait! What about my parents!?"

"Ah, yes. Your mother was… fiery-tempered, to put it mildly, something you don't seem to have inherited. But you did get her stubbornness. Now I really must go."

"But-" she didn't have time to say anything more as he dissolved into purple mist and swept away. As he left the clearing, a white fog rolled in…

*~*~*~*~*

… And Ara awoke to Genis standing next to her bedside.

"Breakfast's ready!"

Looked blankly at the tray he held out to her, sleep still clouding her mind. "Huh…?"

" Breakfast…? You know… Food?"

Aramina's eyes brightened as the words broke through the haze of exhaustion in her mind. "Ah. Sorry, I'm still tired. Thank you for breakfast," she said, taking the tray from Genis.

"Heheh, no problem!"

Raine walked into the room, presumably having had her own breakfast. "Genis and I have to get to the school. I put a stack of books on the side table, though would like you to sleep more than read. We'll be back around noon for lunch."

"Okay. I'll see you later, then."

"Yes. And I don't want you getting out of that bed without anyone here to keep an eye on you, so I left a pitcher of water and a glass on the side table as well. Be careful not to spill on the books."

"Okay. I'll be careful of that."

"Alright. Get some rest, and we'll be back in about four hours!" she called, closing the door as she followed Genis out.

Aramina nodded to herself, then picked up the top book on the stack.


	3. Chapter 2 Lockets and Celebrations

When Raine and Genis arrived that afternoon, Lloyd and Colette in tow, they were greeted with a hopeful Aramina. She'd been restless all day, hoping that Lloyd would be able to find her locket.

Aramina's eyes locked onto Lloyd the moment he entered the room. "Lloyd, I have a favor to ask. I know you've already done a lot for me and all, but…"

Lloyd nodded. "What do you need?"

"I lost a necklace, probably before you found me. I was hoping that… maybe you could… look for it for me? I don't know when Raine'll let me out of bed, and I don't want it having any more time than necessary to start breaking down or get broken or something. Please?"

The brunette nodded again. "I don't know where it is, but I'll look. I guess it may be where I found you… I'll check when I head home, okay? What's it look like?"

Aramina looked hopefully at Lloyd. "It's a gold chain with a gold pendant on it. There's a sapphire starburst-like pattern on the front of the pendant, and silver vines twisting around it into a sapphire Phoenix on the back. Please, it means a lot to me…"

The previously unnoticed and unmentioned Colette spoke up from beside Lloyd. "Don't worry! If anyone can find it, Lloyd can!" she chirped, clearly trying to cheer Ara up.

Aramina blinked confusedly at the blonde. "H-hi… I'm Aramina… you?"

"I'm Colette!" she said, grinning.

"It's nice to meet you, Colette," she said, managing a small smile. Colette's was infectious!

"I'm glad you're okay! Everyone was worried when they saw how badly you'd been bleeding… Grandmother said it would be a miracle from the Goddess Martel herself if you survived!"

Aramina jolted. _Martel…? Huh? Sounds kinda familiar… I probably heard it when I was younger…_ "Well, maybe Martel blessed me then, huh?" she said lightly, trying to hide how strange it was to be talking about a Goddess she hadn't grown up believing in. Her foster parents had believed her to be a miracle sent from above, and had raised her to pray to the elements and, in some cases, the deities who represented them. Of course, that had made them all the more shocked when she'd started swearing, since she usually referred to them when swearing… _Uh-oh, I'll have to be careful. If they suddenly hear me swear 'by the elements' or something, they might get suspicious, or upset. Though, come to think of it, that guy in my dream used 'by the elements,' which seems a bit strange if the Goddess here is Martel. Maybe I'll ask when I see him again…Assuming it wasn't some weird dream from my subconscious._

No one seemed to notice that she'd zoned out, Colette and Raine talking about something while Lloyd and Genis had gone off to the kitchen. Lloyd was telling Genis not to use tomatoes. Aramina chuckled a bit, but was kind of glad. She didn't like tomatoes herself, and they could be expensive, so she wasn't forced to get them to avoid starving or anything. No, what were usually cheapest were the things like rice and bread. Well, it was actually more like the flour and such to make it, but she didn't exactly have time to be making stuff like that while traveling, and bread was still cheap. And didn't tend to go bad before being eaten.

It didn't take long for Genis to make up some sandwiches, which Lloyd and Aramina absolutely devoured, and some coffee. Aramina passed on that, opting instead for water. Coffee wasn't exactly her first choice of drink. Too bitter.

After lunch, Raine, Genis, Lloyd and Colette left again, heading back to class. Aramina grabbed another book from the table, and set to reading, falling asleep not a half hour later. Raine found her that way when she returned, and she remained such until dinner, though Raine moved the book.

The next day, Lloyd had arrived early, with Aramina's locket. As it turned out, it was part of a large set his foster father, Dirk, had been commissioned to make several years ago, and was made of gold-plated Inhibitor Ore, which prevented exspheres from making the user sick, and was laced with Aionis, a rock that, when ingested, allowed one to use magic, and when used in accessories or armor provided resistance to magic, as well as allowing one to channel mana more effectively and efficiently. The phoenix on the back also turned out to be an exsphere, albeit a small, not very powerful one, almost useless except as a tiny boost to one's abilities and a pretty gem. Regardless, the next week, after Raine had given the okay, Lloyd had started teaching her how to utilize what power she could get out of her Exsphere, and she'd learned a variation of the basic sword technique, called Shockwave instead of the Demon Fang that Lloyd was able to use.

Of course, Genis had tried to see if she had the potential to use magic after seeing her quick ability to pick up on using Shockwave, but the silverette had failed miserably, conjuring up only a few sparks when attempting to use Fireball. Of course, those sparks had also managed to catch on her hair, and she'd had to have Raine cut off a couple inches of it to get rid of the singed bits…

That had been nearly a month ago, now. Raine had allowed Aramina to stay with her and Genis, and Ara became not only Raine's new student, but her helper around the house, splitting the cooking duties with Genis, and the cleaning with both Genis and Raine. Raine was banned from the kitchen due to her inedible cooking. Aramina still shuddered at the memory of Raine's Chocolate Chile Pudding. Raine didn't seem to get that sweet and spicy don't mix.

Ara had been in Iselia for almost twice that long, and was currently being dragged out of the Sage house by Lloyd, Colette and Genis.

"Guys, come on! I need to study!" she laughed, trying to get back inside with the books.

"Nu-uh, Raine told us to get you. You'll have more fun this way anyway!" Genis said, holding on to Ara's right hand.

"Yeah! We'll ha- woah!" Colette tripped, pulling Aramina down with her as she fell.

Lloyd looked down at the heap, Colette having landed on top of Genis and Ara on top of her. He blinked, and then burst into laughter. "I want in on the dog-pile, but I think Genis wants out…!" he said, said mage scrabbling at the dirt as he tried to move. Aramina grinned and rolled off, Colette following suit. Genis just laid there, panting as he caught his breath.

"Never… again…" he moaned, rolling onto his back.

Lloyd burst into laughter again.

To Aramina, her time in Iselia seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Lloyd turned seventeen, and Raine, Genis, Dirk, Colette, and Ara threw a party for him. Genis turned twelve and received the same treatment and a letter from the Palmacosta Academy. Fall came and turned the leaves of the trees a crisp gold. Colette's sixteenth birthday rapidly approached. Ara, after hearing of the last one, started doing odd jobs for Dirk to earn a commission for the cheery blonde, wanting to get her a bracelet, and possibly a pair of earrings, after having gotten the boys each something for their birthdays, a carving knife and some cookies she'd made with Genis for Lloyd, and a book of myths for Genis.

But amidst all the excitement, Aramina and Genis had noticed some changes in Raine. The teacher seemed more and more worried as time passed and she spent more time with each student, often coming home late after staying behind with another student.

Eventually, Genis had confronted her about it.

"_Raine, what is wrong with you lately!"_

"_Hmm?" she asked, turning from her book to look at her brother._

"_You're always late getting home, you look like you're not getting enough sleep, and you aren't eating as much as you usually do either!"_

"_I'm fine, Genis."_

"_No, you are not!" he insisted, "Tell me what's wrong!"_

"_I'm a little stressed, that's all. Now, I'm going to bed. Good night," she said, walking into the other room and laying down. Genis groaned in exasperation, but Raine had effectively ended the conversation._

"_Good night, sis. Good night…"_

_Aramina smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Good night, Genis. Go get some rest."_

"_Yeah, I'm tired anyway… Good night, Ara."_

After another month, Ara had successfully earned a commission from Dirk. Both pieces were made of white silver, a material uncommon in the Iselia area, but which Dirk could order cheaply from the Asgard area. The bracelet was made of intertwining leaves of all different shapes and sizes, none the same as any other on the bracelet, but it was the earrings she'd been happiest about. Over the time she'd spent with the girl, she had noticed Colette normally just wore plain silver earrings, hardly noticeable. But these were absolute masterpieces in their own right. Each one was a beautiful acorn, and inside were tiny clappers which made a musical tinkling sound as they moved. She grinned brighter than even Colette normally did as she walked back through the forest to the Sage residence, her earnings carefully wrapped in cloth and put into a bag she'd slung over one shoulder. And, to top it of, she'd learned something about her necklace while working with Dirk and Lloyd to earn her commissions.

_Sixteen years ago…_

_It was sunset, and Dirk was finishing up a project for a young man in Triet, a wrought-iron rose for his beloved, when he heard a loud rap at the door. He set the rose down and opened the door to find a young man with dark brown hair and green eyes standing outside._

"_Cen I help yeh?" he asked, his voice thickly accented. He'd been having a difficult time adjusting to the surface, but he'd been getting better._

"_I would like to make a project request."_

"_I see. Come in."_

"_Thank you," the young man said, walking into the room. Dirk directed him to the table, where they both took a seat, across from each other._

"_So, what kinda request are you askin'?"_

"_I'd like to request seven lockets, as close to identical as you can get. My wife drew the design, I have it here." He pulled a sheet of rolled-up paper from his pocket, passing it across the table. On the page was a golden oval, a Sapphire starburst-like pattern spreading from the exact center. Silver vines wrapped around the outer edge of it, and there was a second view, of the back, where the silver vines coiled into a cluster, once more in the center, and bloomed into a Sapphire firebird, or Phoenix as they were more commonly called. Next to everything were the materials they wanted them made from. Dirk whistled._

"_This could be difficult. And 'ya need seven?"_

"_Yes. We're doing it as a… Family thing, you could say. How long do you think it'll take?"_

"_At least a coupla months. Possibly more."_

"_I understand. I'll come see the progress in two months, is that alright?"_

"_I s'pose. But why not just give me a way to reach you? Ah can let you know when they're ready."_

"_Err, my family moves around a lot…"_

"_Ahh, I see. A'right."_

"_Thank you…"_

Afterward, Dirk had mentioned that, five years later, the man had come back and asked for another. That meant that there were seven of them aside from hers, somewhere in the world with her family members. Hopefully.

After a few more months, Raine had started seeming more like her normal self again. Aramina had also noticed that Genis seemed to be becoming more independent, and the young boy had taken to coming home later than usual, though he never said why. Aramina assumed it was because he'd been hanging out with Colette and Lloyd, so never commented on it, always hurrying to the Sage residence to work on homework and lessons almost as soon as school let out. She was dreadfully behind the others her age, and determined to catch up. Then the day of the Oracle arrived.

Aramina stifled a giggle as she heard Lloyd snoring softly behind her. Her mind had been wandering again, but his had shut down, the standing brunette somehow managing to fall asleep even while holding buckets of water. She grinned as he snored for a few more minutes, until Raine turned her attention to the sleeping teen.

"Lloyd Irving, what is the purpose of the Journey of Regeneration?" His only answer was a loud snore before falling back into the steady rhythm of sleep. Raine's eye twitched. "Lloyd Irving!" When he still didn't answer, she grabbed the eraser from the blackboard and threw it at Lloyd, knocking him over and sending water sloshing all over the back row from Lloyd's buckets. Aramina sighed, her back, pants and hair all soaked because she sat directly in front of Lloyd.

Raine rubbed her forehead for a moment before turning her attention to the rest of the class. "Anyone else?"

Colette raised her hand.

"Yes, Colette, go ahead."

"It's a journey to seal away the Desians."

"Yes, I suppose I should expect the Chosen herself to know that. So, can anyone tell me who ended the Ancient Kharlan War?"

Genis' hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Genis."

"The Hero Mithos."

"Yes. The Hero Mithos ended the war by creating a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians."

Lloyd had finally managed to stand up again, though his hair and clothes were dripping. "But now the Desians are back, and causing everyone to suffer!"

"We covered that in class last time, Lloyd. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's right…"

"Now then, can anyone-" Raine cut off as a bright light filled the schoolhouse, which faded just as quickly as it appeared. "Class, I want you to study on your own, I'll go see what's happening."

Colette jumped out of her chair. "I'll go with you! I think that was the Oracle!"

"No, stay here. If it _is_ the Oracle, the Priests will come for you."

"O-okay."

Raine nodded shortly and walked out of the room.

Aramina turned around to check on Lloyd, watching as he looked out the window. Raine hurried by, and he continued watching her for a minute before turning and walking toward the door.

Genis hurried to block him. "Lloyd, what are you doing! Raine said to stay and study!"

"It's research!"

"That's just an excuse…"

"So? A reason is a reason, right?"

Genis sighed and hung his head in resignation. "You just won't give it up, will you?"

"Nope. Besides, aren't you curious about it too?"

"Well, kinda…"

"See? Hey, Colette, Ara, you two are coming too, right? Colette, aren't you curious about the Oracle?"

"Well, yeah, but… Are you curious?"

"Of course I am!"

"Well then… Okay. I'll go with you guys," Colette said.

Ara sighed, not even planning on arguing. It was pointless against Lloyd. "I'm not so sure we should… But I'll admit I want to see the Oracle too…"

"Alright! Let's go then!" Lloyd said, leading the way out of the classroom.


End file.
